Election Certification: Results Final
Posted on 12/04/2020
The final count is in and voters in the Puyallup School District have approved the two-year Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Supplemental Levy by 58.61 percent. The Pierce County Auditor’s Office certified November’s general election results on Nov. 24.
Beginning in 2021, the levy will generate a maximum amount of $37 million over two years to help sustain school district operations.
The timing and community support for the levy was critical as the District was facing a significant budget deficit of $39.6 million over the next three years. Although the District has recently made significant administration and department reductions, the current school year alone has a projected $20 million deficit. This supplemental levy will help to minimize, not eliminate, the impact of our budget deficit.
Local levies play a vital role in filling the gap between state and federal funding and the actual cost of providing critical services to students. Voter-approved levies are the only way to bridge funding gaps.
The levy will fund day-to-day operations in all neighborhood schools including classroom teachers, instructional aides, nurses, textbooks and learning materials, reasonable class sizes, support technology, arts, music and athletic programs, maintain school playgrounds/playfields, heating, plumbing, health, safety, fire-alarm, and security systems in our schools.